In Nazi Germany, many Germans did what they had to do to survive.

In Nazi Germany, many Germans did what they had to do to survive. This is especially true of Elsie’s family and those that surrounded the family, as McCoy demonstrates through Elsie herself.

When Reba asks about the past, particularly about Germans and their adherence to Nazism, Elsie responds that surviving was on the minds of most and that was enough for them. In other words, Germans had to rely on their consciences and situations as they believed right. Frau Rattelmuller adopted a brusque and rough exterior in order to keep people distant, so that she could secretly help Jews escape to Switzerland. After Peter’s death, Hazel went into the Lebensborn Program to help birth Aryan babies for Germany, believing it was her best option since her beloved was dead.